Portable disposable charcoal grill

ABSTRACT

A portable and disposable charcoal grill of cardboard lined with aluminum foil; the complete grill can be collapsed and provided in a relatively small, rectangular package with the elements nested together and can be quickly and easily assembled; the bottom of the unit can be used as a food warmer-oven while the top is used for barbequeing; the basic body of the grill can be collapsed flat because of opposing vertical folds provided within its sides.

[ 1 Aug. 8, 1972 United States Patent Mollere FOREIGN PATENTS 0RAPPLICATIONS 4 Germany.............. France 97 31 NM NV 35 09 35 4 2 7864 r u w 0 D O C m mm C & E 3 L m m me .m 9 MW m E d m MR Tum mmw PGm Mm [22] Filed:

Aug. 21, 1970 Primary Examiner-Charles J. Myhre Attorney-C. Emmett Pugh[21] Appl. No.: 65,882

57 ABSTRACT A portable and disposable charcoal grill of cardboard linedwith aluminum foil; the complete grill can'be collapsed and provided ina relatively small, rectangu- [52] US. .....................'..126/9A.F24b 3/00, F240 1/16 Int. Cl. [58] Field of References Cited larpackage with the elements nested together and can UNITED STATES PATENTSbe quickly and easily assembled; the bottom of the unit can be used as afood warmer-oven while the top S mm m m e .mr. fw o g v d.m S w .m w a 6mm g S .m m 6M fi u ma mflm d m be M m. :0. a Cr. .Bb D. XXXXQ U99U 2 AA 22 N 011 N m m6 6 u 2 mm M US n 0 w m 6 .m u e w wmm RRLAT 8 278 6666699999 11111 790 5 11 34376 99326 49934 99558 3 93 32333 2 Claim, 5Drawing figures PATENTEUAUG 8 m2 SHEET 1 BF 2 RM M OEQU E N R E0 VM m N.T E G On e E 6 Y B PATENTED 8 I972 SHEET 2 0F 2 FIG. 4.

INVENTOR GEORGE A. MOLLERE BY 6 MW FIG. 5.

ATTORNEY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to acharcoal or barbeque grill which is completely self-contained, trulyportable, easily disposable after use and yet has the featu rles andfull cooking ability of the standard barbeque One of the most favoriteAmerican pastimes is the outdoor cookout wherein a charcoal grill isused to barbeque chicken, steaks, hamburgers and other foods,particularly for picnics and the like. Normally for such use a standardpermanent metal charcoal grill available in various sizes andconfigurations is used. An example of such a grill is generallyillustrated in the patent to Karapetian (FIGS. 1 and 5), US. Pat. No.3,509,814. However, there has been a great deal of inconvenienceassociated with the use of such grills, particularly when transportationof the grill was involved. Usually it would be necessary to: disassemblethe relatively heavy and clumsy grill and stow it in preparation for thepicnic trip, unpack and assemble it at the picnic site, add fuel andstarting fluid and ignite, complete the necessary cooking and allow thegrill to cool, dispose of the fuel residue and finally clean,disassemble and stow it for the return trip. In contrast, the presentinvention comes provided in a relatively small, compact package, iseasily assembled together in seconds and, because of its relativeinexpensiveness, is thrown away into any convenient trash receptacleafter use.

Heretofore, there have been various attempts to provide a truly portableand disposable grill. However, these attempts have all failed becausethey did not fully achieve the objects of portability or practicaldisposability, were relatively expensive or cumbersome or because theycould not satisfactorily perform their cooking function, certainly notto the quality and functional level of the standard metal barbequegrill. Examples of such prior art grills are: 7

Patent No. Inventor No. 2,334,847 Spiers No. 2,918,051 Broman No.2,965,096 Barton No. 2,981,249 Russel et al. No. 3,109,420 Ott et al.No. 3,146,773 Melzer No. 3,353,527 Anderson No. 3,394,693 Robinson No.3,428,039 Desmoulins No. 3,478,733 Meyerhoefer No. 3,491,743 Temp Thepresent invention offers a new approach and structure which results ingreatly increased convenience, flexibility of use and ease of disposal.Among its many advantages are:

l. The unit is inexpensive, costing a mere dollar or two;

2. The unit is easily transportable and as purchased,

measures only 13 X 13 X 2% inches and is contained in a small, compactrectangular package;

3. The unit is complete, and includes all components necessary for oneuse; that is, the grill body, instant starting fuel, and a grating foruse as a cooking surface;

4. Assembly is easy, straight-forward and takes no particular skill;indeed the unit may be assembled by one person in less than 1 minute;

5. An additional feature is the presence of a lower food warming oven,suitable inter alia for preparing brown and serve bread products;

6. The unit is safe; the fire retardant paper or cardboard from whichthe unit is made is consumable but will not support combustion; the foilliner can be turned over all exposed paper edges to limit exposure toflame; and the potential of a grease fire has been reduced by designingthe fire pan so that it will not trap grease;

7. The base features areflective internal surface to prevent thermaldamage to whatever surface the grill is placed upon;

8. Integral insulated lifting handles can be provided for moving theunit while in use; and

9. The unit is completely disposable and can be discarded in anyconvenient trash container once the fire has been extinguished.

BRIEF DESC .1 1 ON OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded, perspectiveview of the elements of the grill of the present invention as they wouldfit together when assembled for use; I

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the assembled grill, partially cut-awayto show the interior of the grill;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional, side view of the assembled grill;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the basic body element of the grill inpartially collapsed position; and

FIG. 5 shows the elements of the grill nested together for packaging andtransportation.

DES 1' ONOFTHEPREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown particularly in FIGS. l and2, the present invention comprises a charcoal or barbeque grill 1including a basic body element 2, a fire pan 3, charcoal briquettes 4,grill 5 and a base 6. When in use, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the basicbody element 2 supports within it the fire pan 3 and at its top thegrill 5. The charcoal or other heat producing element 4 rests on thefire pan 3 and, when ignited, the grill 1 is used to cook meats and thelike on its grilled surface 5.

The basic body element 2 is comprised of a square corrugated paper orcardboard material 22 which can measure for example 12 X 12 inches inhorizontal cross-section and 11 inches in height. The corrugated paper22 is fire retardant and a rating of pound bursting strength has beenfound satisfactory. A heat reflecting laminate 23 of 1 mil aluminum foilis secured to the inside surface of the tube 2 by means of, for example,a thermosetting adhesive. A series of slots 25 varying in heightlocation are provided in the side portions 21-21 of the basic body tube2. Sides 21-21 also include two opposed vertical accordian-type folds 24(note FIG. 4) which allow the tube 2 to be collapsed or folded flat. Asshown in FIG. 5, the folds 24 open in opposite directions so that, whencollapsed, the sides 21-211 fold inwardly.

The fire pan 3, having'a little under a 12 X 12 crosssection is providedwith two opposing dog ears 3 which are inserted into the selected slots25 for mounting the fire pan 3 in the basic tube 2 at the desired levellocain the side portions, the inherent resiliency of the cardboard 22caused by the presence of the folds 24 provides an inward, compressivebias or force locking or securely holding the fire pan 3 in place. Theplacement of the fire pan 3 as to slot level is determined by thetemperature desired at the grill 5.

Although the dog ear 3 and slot 25 combination illustrated provides aparticularly simple and relatively inexpensive structure for supportingthe fire pan 3, it may be desirable to allow greater ease in changingthe fire pan level to permit the varying of the level during, forexample, the barbequeing of a steak. For such greater flexibility onecould use an alternate support, for example, aset of verticallyextending wire supports (not illustrated) which could hook into thecorners of the fire pan 3 (eliminating the dog ears 3' and slots 25).The wire supports could have a series of reverse hooks along theirlength to hook over the top of the tube 2. The level could then bechanged by merely raising the supports to unhook them from the top andrehooking the supports at the desired level.

The fire pan 3 can be fabricated from, for example, 20 mil steel. Toprevent grease drippings from building up across the pan and causing anuncontrolled grease fire from occurring, grooves (not illustrated) couldbe stamped into the pan 3 to allow the grease to drip off the pansurface or otherwise collected at one or two limited spots away from thefuel area.

A 12 X 12 inch expanded metal or wire grill 5 is used as the cookingsurface. The grill 5 is fabricated with a downwardly extending one inchlip on all sides to secure the grill 5 to the top of the tube 2.

The base 6 can be of the same materials structure as the tube 2including the same corrugated paper or cardboard 62 with a laminatedheat reflective layer 63 of aluminum foil. The base element 6 can havehorizontal, cross-sectional dimensions of for example 13 X 13 with sidewalls of 2% inches high.

The base 6 serves three basic functions: (a) it pro vides a heatreflective surface 63 which prevents any burning or damage to thesurface (grass, table, etc.) upon which the unit 1 is used; (b) it alongwith the lower portion of the tube 2 provides an oven or 'food warmingarea; and (c) it can be used as the basic outer package or shippingcontainer (note FIG. 5) during the selling, shipping and transportationsegments of the units life.

The food warming compartment can be used to keep the food l0 (note FIG.3) warm after it has been cooked on the grill 5. The lower portion ofthe unit 1 also serves as an oven in which the user can prepare, interalia, brown and serve type products. The basic tube 2 can be furtherslotted or have a series of air vent holes or rectangular cut-outsprovided in it near its base in side portions or 21 21 to promote aircirculation and stabilize the oven temperature as desired, for example,to approximately 300 F. As a further safeguard to prevent over heatingof the corrugated paper or cardboard 22, the outer skin of thecorrugated structure can be removed at the bottom of the tube 2 so as topermit air circulation up through the corrugations for cooling purposes.7

To facilitate moving the unit 1 around while in use and hence while itis hot, and to allow easy pick-up of the tube 2 from the base 6pemiitting access to the food 10, integral handles (not illustrated) canbe cut into or stamped out of the top portion of the tube 2. Aparticular advantageous way to provide these handles is to slit all fourupper comers of the tube 2 about one inch down in a vertical direction.The top edges of the sides 20, 21 e 21 can then be folded out and downproviding an inverted V-shaped cuff for handles. This structure resultsin two additional advantages by giving an aluminum foil surface at theupper edge resisting any charring of the tube 2 and giving a resilientfriction locking action for holding the grill 5.

The fuel or briquette element 4 is, for convenience, preferably of theone piece or integral, instant start type which requires no startingfluid. An example of such an instant start fuel unit is disclosed in thepatent to Mustin et al., US. Pat. No. 2,933,378, and is sold under thetrademark .Brix" (Timberland Products Co., Inc.). Another suitableinstant or self starting fuel element is that sold under the trademarkTouch & 610 (Great Lakes Charcoal Products Corp. Other self startingfuel elements are available or alternatively, of course, there are thestandard, loose charcoal briquettes with starter fluid. The thickness ofthe corrugated paper 22 and the aluminum foil layer 23 of the tube 2 mayhave to be varied depending on the amount of flaming present duringstart-up for the particular fuel element being used.

In the preferred embodiment sufficient fuel 4 is included for one use ofthe grill unit 1. However, even though the unit 1 is basically designedfor a one use/disposable operation, it unlike some prior art attemptshas substantial durability and can be reused a 5 multiple number oftimes if so desired.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, because of the complete collapsibility of theunit 1 and the substantial flatness and compactness of its variouselements, the elements can be packed together for shipping, sale andtransporting prior to use in a relatively small, compact unit 1' withall the elements nested together. The base element6 with its upwardlyextending side walls can serve as the basic container or package withthe other elements nested therein. For example, the other elements canbe nested as follows: the grill 5 is placed up-side-down with thecollapsed tube body 2 placed within it; and on top of the nestedtube/grill 2 5 is placed the fire pan 3 and the packaged fuel unit 4. Atransparent, overprinted wrap could then be provided over the exteriorof the unit 1 to provide a finished package.

The assembly of the grill is simply and quickly achieved. The procedureis as follows;

I 1. Any outer wrapping is removed from the unit 1' and discarded;

2. The tube 2 is removed from the base package 6 and unfolded;

3. The fire pan 3 is inserted into and attached to the tube by means ofinserting dog ears 3' into the desired slots 25;

4. The tube 2 is placed in the mounting base 6;

5. The charcoal pack 4 is placed in the fire pan;

6. The charcoal is lit; and

7. The expanded metal or wire grill 5 is placed on top of the grill.

After the fuel 4 has reached its cooking condition, the unit 1 is readyfor use.

The portable grill 1 is designed to be as intrinsically safe as ispractical. The interior foil surfaces 23 and 63 have during testsresisted a flame of 400 F. indefinitely without charring the outsidepaper surface 20, 21 21 The paper is treated with a fire retardantliquid and will not support combustion. The outside surface temperatureof the body element 2 stabilizes at 135 F. when in use. The outsidebottom surface temperature of the mounting base is typically 85 F. whenin use.

Although having some slits, cut-out portions and/or slots in itssurface, the tube 2 nonetheless has a substantially solid surfacedexterior particularly in its upper portion. This structure serves tocontain and conserve the heat produced by the fuel element 4 and, unlikethose prior art grills of perforated or expanded metal or wire basicstructures, allows the unit 1 to function as well as and in some casesbetter than the permanent metal grills. The type of structure alsoallows greater ease of handling and provides greater durability.

Although primarily intended for use as a portable barbeque grill, thepresent invention could be converted for other applications as well,such as being used as a portable hand or baby bottle warmer or as aportable incinerator.

There are, of course, many variables to be taken into account indesigning the exact details and dimensions of the ,unit 1. The amount ofmaximum heat to be given off by the fuel element 4 during use and themaximum amount of flaming during fuel start-up will usually dictate thethickness of the foil layer 23. The general size and location of the airvent holes or slots, the position of the fire pan, the size of the lowercompartment and the temperature heating characteristics of the fuel 4will determine the temperature level of the oven or food warmingcompartment.

Because many varying and different embodiments may be made within thescope of the inventive concept herein taught, and because manymodifications may be made in the embodiment herein detailed inaccordance with the description requirements of the law, it is to beunderstood that the details herein are to be interpreted merely asillustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed as invention is:

1. Portable and disposable charcoal grill means comprising:

a. rectangular main frame means having four essentially solid uprightwall portions defining a hollow open ended structure; said means beingfabricated from a disposable corrugated paper material provided with alayer of aluminum foil over its interior vided with vertically extendinggrooves along which the adjacent wall portions are allowed inwardstoward each other in an accordian type fashion whereby said main framemeans can be collapsed to a flat condition and nestled within base meansas hereinafter defined, the presence of the accordian type folds and theinherent resiliency of the corrugated paper material providing aninward, resilient, compressive bias between said opposing wall portions;the upright opposing wall rtions of sai main frame ge s gavin sai oovestherein mg also provi e wit ase eso horizontally extending slotsprovided at various elevations for supporting fuel support means ashereinafter defined;

. rectangular shape base means adapted to receive and close off thebottom of said main frame means when the latter is positioned therein inexpanded operable condition, said base means also being fabricated of acorrugated paper material having a layer of aluminum foil thereon; saidbase means being further characterized in that it is provided withupwardly extending side walls sufficient to receive in a nestlingrelationship said main frame means when collapsed as well as grill andfuel support means as hereinafter defined;

. rectangular shaped grill means adapted to fit over the top opened endof said main frame means when operably positioned thereon; said grillmeans also being adapted to fit within said base means in a nestlingrelationship; and

. rectangular shaped fuel support means adapted to fit within the hollowspace defined within said main frame means so as to define incombination with said base means and the wall portions of said mainframe means an enclosed chamber; said fuel support means being furtherdefined in that it is provided with extended portions on two of itsopposite sides adapted to fit within the horizontally extending slotsprovided within the wall portions of said main frame means said fuelsupport means being securely held within said main frame means by saidresilient, compressive bias between said opposing wall portions wherebysaid fuel support means can be horizontally supported at variouselevations within said main frame means; said fuel support means beingalso further defined in that it is of a configuration whereby it can benestled within said base means.

2. The charcoal grill means of claim 1 wherein said rectangular shapedgrill means forms an open grill structure having along its periphery adownwardly extending lip on all sides to secure said rectangularlyshaped grill means to said main frame means.

1. Portable and disposable charcoal grill means comprising: a.rectangular main frame means having four essentially solid upright wallportions defining a hollow open ended structure; said means beingfabricated from a disposable corrugated paper material provided with alayer of aluminum foil over its interior surfaces; said means also beingfurther defined in that a pair of its opposing wall portions areprovided with vertically extending grooves along which the adjacent wallportions are allowed inwards toward each other in an accordian typefashion whereby said main frame means can be collapsed to a flatcondition and nestled within base means as hereinafter defined, thepresence of the accordian type folds and the inherent resiliency of thecorrugated paper material providing an inward, resilient, compressivebias between said opposing wall portions; the upright opposing wallportions of said main frame means having said grooves therein being alsoprovided with a series of horizontally extending slots provided atvarious elevations for supporting fuel support means as hereinafterdefined; b. rectangular shape base means adapted to receive and closeoff the bottom of said main frame means when the latter is positionedtherein in expanded operable condition, said base means also beingfabricated of a corrugated paper material having a layer of aluminumfoil thereon; said base means being further characterized in that it isprovided with upwardly extending side walls sufficient to receive in anestling relationship said main frame means when collapsed as well asgrill and fuel support means as hereinafter defined; c. rectangularshaped grill means adapted to fit over the top opened end of said mainframe means when operably positioned thereon; said grill means alsobeing adapted to fit within said base means in a nestling relationship;and d. rectangular shaped fuel support means adapted to fit within thehollow space defined within said main frame means so as to define incombination with said base means and the wall portions of said mainframe means an enclosed chamber; said fuel support means being furtherdefined in that it is provided with extended portions on two of itsopposite sides adapted to fit within the horizontally extending slotsprovided within the wall portions of said main frame means said fuelsupport means being securely held within said main frame means by saidresilient, compressive bias between said opposing wall portions wherebysaid fuel support means can be horizontally supported at variouselevations within said main frame means; said fuel support means beingalso further defined in that it is of a configuration whereby it can benestled within said base means.
 2. The charcoal grill means of claim 1wherein said rectangular shaped grill means forms an open grillstructure having along its periphery a downwardly extending lip on allsides to secure said rectangularly shaped grill means to said main framemeans.